in Work and Life

Main menu

Post navigation

As an Instructional Designer in a corporate setting, the question of how to best deliver instruction is one that will always be asked with every project. In an organization where employees are located in different locations stretched across multiple time zones, the answer to this question will most often require the use of distance education technologies. Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek tell us that when the correct media is selected it will “maximize efficiency and make available more resources for other learning experiences.” (2012) In the scenario given for consideration this week a new system is being implemented throughout a corporation that has six regional offices. The staff cannot meet at the same time or the same location for the training of the new system. As the instructional designer, it is my job to find the most effective and efficient way to deliver the training.

The use of distance learning technologies is the immediate solution to the scenario produced. In fact, the use of distance learning technologies has become somewhat commonplace in the corporate setting. Moller, Foshay, & Huett tell us that the reason for this is the “reduction in training delivery costs.” (2008) They also attribute this to the fact that e-learning is “instantly available, providing timely and on-demand learning…[and] scalable” (2008) No doubt, for corporations, especially those such as the one described in this scenario, distance learning technologies are the way of the future for corporate training and development.

So, now the question is which distance learning technologies will most maximize efficiency for training the employees in six locations on a new system. Simonson et. al. describes desktop two-way audio/video technologies which could be used in this scenario. There are many different programs available today that could be used to make this possible and most organizations have these in place for not only training purposes but also for meetings and brainstorming among coworkers. For the sake of this scenario, we will assume this organization has Adobe Connect in place for these purposes. This program allows for audio and video connection among participants as well as the sharing of documents and screenshots. A schedule would be generated that would allow for all employees to attend a session that best fits with their schedule. Depending on the number of employees required to attend pre-registration may be necessary. Otherwise, a link to the session could be attached to the announcement of the different sessions. However, for those who are not able to attend any of the scheduled sessions, the ability to record the sessions for later viewing is available through Adobe Connect (Adobe Systems, San Jose, Calif). At the end of the session, for continued sharing and ongoing collaboration a group wiki would be shared for participants to use after the synchronous session has ended.

Adobe Connect (Adobe Systems, San Jose, Calif) has been successfully used by many educators and organizations for the purposes of distance education. It is especially useful because it allows not only for the use of sharing screens and presentations, but also the use of video of the actual instructor for those attending the session. This is so effective, that it can even be used in the medical field as described by Galvin, Frazier, & Franks when teaching about radiology and histology. They refer to the benefits of using a web-conferencing software as having “improved efficiency and enabled collaborative consultation
between individuals at distant institutions.” (2010) Galvin et. al. go on to say that “the sessions have provided an excellent platform for teaching both radiology and pathology residents, who can log on remotely to observe the diagnostic process.” (2010) It is also used in higher education, as in the case of Purdue University North Central (PNC) in its MBA program. Chuang describes the use of the program as being able to “combine existing learning content with real-time interactivity between presenters and students for engaging collaborative teaching and learning experiences.” (2009) In a corporate setting, I have used this tool successfully many times to implement distance learning and have found it allows for the instruction and interactivity that this scenario requires.